Search brisbanetimes:

Search in:

Celibacy not a factor in child abuse, says brother

Eoin Blackwell

Celibacy in religious institutions can turn some people into bitter ''lemons'' unable to reach out healthily to others - but is not a contributing factor to child abuse, a senior Christian Brother says.

The deputy head of the Christian Brothers Oceania province, Brother Julian McDonald, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse celibacy could be the wrong choice for some, but did not cause abuse.

''There is no strong evidence to suggest that celibacy is the cause of offending against children or a strong contributing factor,'' Brother McDonald said on Wednesday.

''There have been people who have found their way into religious life for whom celibacy was a very unhealthy choice. It effectively turned them into lemons - bitter people who could not reach out healthily to anybody else.''

Advertisement

Over the past two weeks the commission has heard from 11 men who suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse at Christian Brothers residences in Bindoon, Clontarf, Castledare and Tardun in Western Australia between 1947 and 1968.

The final day of the Perth hearings also heard how the religious order fiercely defended litigation against it in the 1990s - a position one lawyer for abuse survivors described last week as the order having its foot on the throat of the men.

During the hearings, it was established the Christian Brothers leadership was aware of abuse allegations against 70 brothers dating back to 1919, and up to 1969. Brother McDonald said he was unaware of any allegations against Christian Brothers since 1992.

When asked if funds from the sale of assets at Bindoon, Clontarf and Castledare could be used to contribute to compensation for the men, he replied ''that's a possibility''.

In 1990, when he was a provincial leader in NSW, Brother McDonald said he became aware of a brother who had earlier been transferred following a warning from NSW police.

Soon after becoming the provincial leader, Brother McDonald said he became aware there were ''several brothers who had offended''.

Council assisting the commission, Gail Furness, asked him if there had been abuse allegations against two brothers, which he accepted to be true.

''There had,'' he said. ''Regrettably the police in NSW said to my predecessor 'transfer this brother interstate or we will arrest him'. Now, when I came into the position, I found that incredible, quite frankly.''

The brother was transferred to a facility where he had no access to children, he said.

He said both men were put into treatment at a US facility, but the pair had to agree to it. Neither had reoffended since receiving treatment, and one brother later admitted his offence and served jail time.

Brothers joining the order are now required to complete a psychosexual assessment.